Having a few cups of coffee may help you get your energy on, but it won’t help you get down to work if your mind keeps wandering off to somewhere else. If you feel like you suck at your job because of procrastination, don’t feel bad because everybody suffers from this ailment, some more than others. And thankfully, there’s a way for you to fix that.

(screenshot from Coursera “Learning How to Learn” lecture)

Apparently, our brain makes us want to do other things when we’re trying to look at something that we really hate doing by activating the section of the brain (insular cortex) that feels pain. When this happens we automatically looks for another way to stop this negative simulation by switching our attention to something we enjoy doing, according to Barbara Oakley, a professor of engineering at Oakland University.

The Shortcut

For those of you who work well under pressure, you can try to procrastinate until you reach your deadline to try and finish your work within a few minutes. Although, I do not recommend this technique for most people. Follow the next method for best results.

Best Way to Beat Procrastination

Researchers have found that once we actually start doing our work, that negative uncomfortable feeling fades away. So, it’s basically about making yourself work only for a few minutes in the beginning. There’s a simple and an old method you can use to make that happen.

It’s called Pomodoro Technique, a time management method created in the early 1980 by Francesco Cirillo. Simply put, it’s a timer which you can use to keep your focus. Here’s how it works.

Find a timer. The timer app on your smartphone will do the trick. Then set the timer to 25 minutes. Now switch off all your distractions. Stop phone notifications, close all Facebook and Twitter tabs, and focus only on what you’re doing. Work your ass off for the next 25 minutes.

Once your 25 minutes is up, make sure to reward yourself with something you enjoy doing. It can be 5-minutes of Facebook browsing, playing a video game, going for a walk or whatever you like. Repeat the same using the timer and see your work get done.

Read Also: How to Learn Tough Subjects You Hate

This method may sound old and a bit cliched, but trust me it actually works every time for me. Nobody procrastinate as much as me, but hey, I just finished this article in just an hour.

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Follow @nrjperera – Roshan Jerad Perera